Search - J.S. Bach, Baker, Tear :: Mass in B Minor

Wow, hard to believe this isn't widely available

Obi | SLC, UT | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields put together a wonderful performance of Bach's Mass in B minor. From the Kyrie to the Dona Nobis, this CD performance is for the ages. Dame Janet Baker is wonderful in several arias and the chorus is just amazing. I cannot tell you how many times I have turned to this beautiful music when I was feeling down. When the clouds descend, the Dona Nobis causes my soul to rise above them. This one is a personal favorite.



I welcome feedback on this and all reviews at wstrnlibwarrior@yahoo.com



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Great recording!

J. Byron | Solvang, CA, United States | 10/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great recording! Modern instruments; recorded in 1977, and there are 2 discs in the set, not just 1 like the information page says."

An old friend still young at heart

Ralph Moore | Bishop's Stortford, UK | 05/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard this wonderful recording when I owned it on hissy cassette tape in the early 80's and waited for years for it to reappear on CD; even then I had to buy it through one of those life-saving outfits which re-issues big-label classics under licence and which I'm probably not allowed to mention on Amazon.



Its reappearance means that those of who us who have have no taste for the lean whining of post-1980 HIPster versions, with their under-nourished one-voice-per-line approach and breezy way with the text, but are equally unhappy with the soupy, reverential mode of Klemperer and Jochum and vibrato-laden soloists, now have a middle way with Marriner. This is still more of a "traditional" interpretation than not, but Marriner has more spring in his step than his Germanic forebears while still allowing his singers room for expressiveness. The quality of solo singing and too much perky inflexibility when it comes to inflection of a sacred text have jointly been the bugbear of more recent efforts, which is why even venerable recordings such as those by Richter still shine; here we have - with one exception - some of the most beautiful voices in Bach ever, headed by Janet Baker's rich, nuanced mezzo. Margaret Marshall brings a silvery beauty to her solos and blends smoothly with Baker; Samuel Ramey sings with noble authority. My exception is Robert Tear, a singer whose throaty, strangulated and oh-so-English tenor has always grated on me, but he has comparatively little to do and I can just about tolerate his contribution. The orchestra and chorus of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields are lithe and alert but of sufficient number and heft to lend weight to the numerous and vital choruses without getting bogged down.



I have tried many another performance, but for reasons of both sentimental attachment and, I hope, objective quality, find myself returnng to this recording when I want to hear what I believe to be Bach's most innovative, all-embracing and profound choral masterpiece, which I prefer even above the sublime St Matthew Passion."